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It has been a while since there were any updates to the game (other than the DLC’s). High time some bugs get fixed. The full list of bugs fixed are available here.

The list was a bit random so I though I’ll group it a bit better (if possible)

Fixes

Single player

– Fixed Shepard’s shadow from not appearing after entering and exiting an Atlas
– Fixed a rare crash in the final mission level involving the firing of the Cain at the Hades Cannon.
– Fixed an issue with Ken/Gabby and Tali/Garrus ambient dialogues not triggering in Normandy engineering

Character ability fixes

– Krogan Vanguard Rage bonuses now work properly
– Asari Justicar passive power evolution 3 power damage and force bonus now works properly
– Fixed Asari Justicar from not being able to activate Biotic Sphere within range of large enemies
– Fixed Flamer power of Vorcha from being activated simultaneously with the Reegar Carbine
– Fixed Atlas rocket applying damage over time on N7 Paladins using the Omni-Shield

Enemies and NPC

– Fixed pathing for Banshees so they don’t get stuck in a teleport routine
– Fixed dropping Retrieve Objects that could potentially fall under the level
– Fixed an issue with enemies approaching a downed player to execute, but showing mercy and leaving
– Fixed an issue that caused the Retrieve Objective wave to not recognize the recovery of the object when it enters the retrieve zone
– Fixed Decoy that was blocking the use of ladders to NPCs and squadmates
– Fixed an issue with the Banshee being able to sync-kill players farther than she should be able to
– Fixed issue where enemies in Stasis surviving a biotic detonation would become un-synchronized for clients
– Fixed an issue that caused the Retrieve Objective wave to not recognize the recovery of the object when it enters the retrieve zone
– Fixed issue in which enemies surviving a detonated Stasis blast became invulnerable

Lobby, menu etc.

– Fixed an issue with Private Lobbies not staying private after the match has begun
– Fixed an issue in which purchasing multiplayer card pack purchases would not complete
– Fixed icons of powers disappearing from the Character Screen
– Fixed an issue with talent points remaining after a character promotion

Disconnects, unplayable maps

– Fixed quitting/disconnecting while holding Retrieve Object that could cause the Retrieve Object to disappear
– Fixed users logging off or disconnecting during gameplay from not being able to return online until rebooting the game
– Fixed an issue when using Biotic Charge before death that caused the match to be unplayable afterwards

Other

– Fixed tutorial tip that didn’t properly display an unbound command
– Fixed an issue in multiplayer where if a character has DLC weapons equipped, and the DLC associated to the weapons is deleted, the weapon loadout screen displayed no weapons
– Fixed the Encumbrance Bar from not updating correctly for the Earth DLC weapon mods
– Fixed player death camera beginning before a sync kill is complete
– Fixed Leviathan DLC Weapon Mods not carrying over to New Game +
– Fixed the health bar position of Tactical Scan on Swarmers
– Fixed bleedout effect that was disappearing when another player used an Ops Survival Pack

Exploits Fixed

– Fixed an exploit that allowed players to be invincible and invisible to enemies
– Fixed an exploit where players were able to use rockets from other weapons

PS3 Only

– Fixed an issue on PS3 where after accepting an invite, a player could get stuck in a multiplayer screen by entering the store from the promo screen and then exiting without purchase
– Fixed a crash when pressing PS button during the game’s boot sequence

PC Only

– Fixed the hint popup to update mouse left click and right click bindings
– Fixed an issue that made Origin users display their game as joinable when their game is full
– Fixed a crash on Firebase Rio caused by heavy melee

Xbox Only

– Fixed a rare crash (black screen) on Xbox 360: Upon booting up the game and attempting to reach the title screen, players will now be able to get to title screen to recover their save games. Progress to locked achievements will be reset. Achievements already unlocked will remain unaffected.

New stuff

– Players can no longer grab Geth Pyros over cover (Nooooooo !)
– Attempting to equip similar weapon mods will now present a ‘Slot Occupied’ message
– Disruptor Rounds consumable (all ranks) damage multiplier against shields and barriers increased from 100% to 400%
– All Batarian and Krogan kits will now stagger less than other kits
– Ops Survival Packs now grant a one second damage immunity when consumed
– Singularity power re-designed (see link for details)
– Melee creatures will now completely ignore pets (drones, decoys, etc.) rather than just having a chance to ignore them
– Krysae no longer ignores enemy shield gatesKrysae no longer ignores enemy shield gates
– Concussive Shot changes (see link for details)
– Marksman will instantly reload weapon ammunition when activated
– Can now headshot Banshees, Geth Primes, and Brutes for an extra 40% weapon damage.
– Can now shoot the Atlas’ exhaust port on his back for an extra 40% weapon damage.
– Successfully extracting from a match gives 10% bonus credits. This reward does not depend on your squad members – you must extract personally to get the reward.

Well, I started a second play-through of the game to try and ‘max’ out everything I could or do it as best possible. In the process I discovered a few ‘mistakes’ I made during the first attempt – like loosing Miranda (don’t ask me how I managed to to that).

As far as alien assets I got all the possible fleets including both Quarian and Geth fleets. Previously I could not for the life of me get both – had to choose between them. It turns out you have to leave the Rannoch missions until the very end so your Paragon/Renegate is high enough to choose one of the ‘overriding’ dialogue options. In the first iteration I even managed to get Tali to commit suicide… ouch!

Another thing I discovered that I didn’t know before was that the Omega missions are not accessible if you have Mordin and the Genophase cure saved since Maelon isn’t required to get the possible cure anymore. I happened to have both so I missed the Omega mission(s) again. Then there was the pleasant surprise to have Miranda survive her Horizon mission. Again I managed to miss the critical dialogue decision the first time that managed to ‘save’ her.

So in the end I managed to gather a war asset strength of just below 8000 (7978). I promoted a couple of multiplayer ‘squads’ as well that helped and I could have tried to add some more if I wanted.

Of course to actually make use of all those assets you must play the multiplayer (each day to keep it 100%). I’ve started to really like it but there are a couple of things I could suggest they add to the multiplayer ‘experience’ – like having the ability to invite friends from in the game (say on the lobby screen or just after finishing a good game where you were impressed by someone).

I also like the new multiplayer manifest pages they added (e.g. mine). They should also add stats on your kills as well as kill count per weapon/power. This could make it useful to see what weapons/powers you do the best with so you can enhance it or improve how you play. Of course, this is also useful to see how your friends are doing and how you all can compliment each other.

A couple of screenshots of the war:

The fleets arrive!

This sequence really is the epic high-point of the whole ‘Mass Effect’ series. The moment you/Shepard worked to hard to achieved. Pitty it turned out to be all for nothing…

And starts to move towards Earth…

Open fire!

Engaging the Reapers

Fighters enter the battle…

Fighters start to move around

The Reapers starts returning fire!

Alliance ship gets blown to hell (and back)

Chaos, blood and guts and more chaos!

This is not war – this is carnage and the Reapers are feasting…

Update: Well I’ve finished the game again – this time with fleet strength maxed out so that when I chose the ‘destroy’ option (don’t get me started about the bad ending again…) that hidden/secret video clip plays hinting that Shepard may still be alive. To be honest – that is more like I would have liked the game should have ended… Alternatively, a clip of Shepard and Garrus meeting at the bar (in heaven) should have been played… (ok but Garrus is not dead yet in ‘my’ game’s ending…).

Part one of … not sure
The following is just a couple ideas of how things could ‘be’ after the events of Mass effect 3 – despite the bad ending… 😉
Since there are a lot of things not actually ‘shown’ in the final cut scenes we are left to wonder about a lot of things like what happened to some characters, planets, technologies etc.

My preference for the ending is of course the ‘destroy the Reapers’ option.

First off – a couple of things that can be directly deduced from the final cut scenes:

Some characters definitely (from what I can see) survived – like Joker, Liara, Garrus, Ashley/Kaiden, the Prothean and Admiral Hackett. Possibly Tali, Grunt, Jack, Jacob, Zaeed, Kasumi, Miranda could also have survived. I’m a bit unsure about Wrex since there was a cutscene just before the ‘run to the beam‘ scene where he and some Asari commandos were hit directly by a Reaper beam. Most of these characters would have been on the Normandy when it crashed (but I’m still totally confused how they managed to get back to the ship at all and why!?). They would be stranded in the middle of nowhere between points where Mass relays were. That implies they would be nowhere close to any known planets or space traveling routes which implies no one else would know where they are as well. Sheppard is almost surely dead unless that secret ending hint is true (only possible if you choose the destroy option with very high war readiness). Anderson is dead – period. So is Thane and Mordin.

Most the major civilizations home planets are destroyed – except for Sur’Kesh’s (Salarian), Rannoch (Quarian/Geth) and Tuchanka (Krogon) (which is a wasteland anyway). To be specific the planets Thessia (Asari), Palaven (Turians), Dekuuna (Elcor), Kahje (Hanar and Drell), Irune (Volus), Khar’shan (Batarians) and of course Earth are destroyed or very close to it. There may be survivors but the best chance for survival would be small colonies that might have been secondary targets for the Reapers which they would have attacked later if they survived. To summarise – there are survivers but they are spread all over the place and isolated. Many small colonies might actually die if they cannot survive on their own.

Although the relay network was/is (tenses are gona be confusing since I refer to fictional stuff here) disabled or destroyed depending on ‘Sheppard’s choices travelling between major planets are difficult if not impossible in a reasonable time. There is a posibility that some could have survived – those that has not been activated, discovered or disabled in the past. Even so the network as a whole would be out of commission for all practical purposes. FTL drives would still operate but since most technologies were based on the relay network most civilizations would not have bothered to make advances in FTL technology for very long distance travel. Even if they try it it could take years, decades or even centuries to travel to other systems – especially those that are on the other side of the galaxy. Think of the poor Quarian fleet that have to travel back home (provided any survived the final battle over Earth). Then again they were ‘used’ to long term space travel so perhaps… If any Turians or Asari ships survived they would also have a very long journey ahead of them. The same goes for Krogon which probably have to hitched a ride with the Asari since Tuchanka is on the way to Thesia as seen from Earth.

Pockets of small fleets that might have been traveling or battling Reapers in remote locations would also be stranded. It is assumed that most of Earth’s forces were at the final Earth battle so these pockets might mostly be those of other species.

The Citadel is destroyed or very badly damaged. If anyone survived the Reaper take-over they probably would have died during the final ‘beam’ event. Still, it is a massive structure so perhaps parts of it could have survived or could be re-used for rebuilding something else.

Other technologies might also be affected. During the final conversation with the Catalyst (ok more like a monologue) it is stated that some organics already contain some synthetics. Whether that means they also would stop working given the destroy option is unsure. The same might apply to the ‘control’ option as well. With the synthesis option those technologies obviously will survive. So the general feeling I get is that technologies like biotics and Mass effect type weapons would still be usable.

Deductions and theories.
So how could things change given some time of recovery? Although the Earth’s surface has been all but destroyed the survivers have access to all the element zero formally used by the Reapers. That would give them a good chance to recover more quickly. Perhaps the same would happen on Thesia and Palaven as well. Using the larger concentrations of element zero some more advanced FTL drives can be developed.
Humans are adaptable and if (real) history teach us anything even major disasters can be overcome as long as there are a few survivors. The biggest threat (other than surviving Reapers) would be pirates that would also be desparate after the whole invasion. They would strip any resources they can lay their hands on. Actually, any survivors would fall into this description.

One theory or idea I have is about whether any Reapers might have survived the ending – given the destroy option. If it was only the blast from the Catalyst that killed/disabled them then there is a chance that some might have survived in deep space away from the relay network. I don’t believe they would have sent all Reapers to the final battle over Earth – not even an AI would be so foolish to take the chance that some enemy can potentially wipe out all of them in one single battle. Also, given their long history they more than likely have multiple hiding places.
Then if the Catalyst merely used a signal to disable them why would the all willingly simple ‘kill’ themselves? What intelligent being would willingly self destruct just by getting a signal? Some could have rebelled or refused to obey. This is all speculation but it does raise one big problem. If any of them did survived the organics would still have a major problem! Being almost wiped out, many isolated or spreaded thin it could only mean the Reapers would still have won and can clean up the survivors and then start rebuilding for the ‘next cycle’… This is one of the reasons I don’t like the current ending of the game – by removing the relay network any further resistance would also be useless and destroyed.
If Sheppard choose one of the other two options then the Reapers definitely would have survived. On the Mass Effect Wiki it is stated that the Reapers then ‘peacefully’ leave the galaxy… but why would they stay away if they need to harvest organics to survive themselves?? A predator cannot stay without food forever…

Another totally different idea I have is – what happens in other galaxies? Do they also have Reaper like ‘control’ mechanisms to avoid synthetics from destroying organics? Even if the Reapers in the Milkyway do get destroyed how long would it take for such ‘alien-reapers’ to realize the vacuum of power in this galaxy and come over to prey on/help organics? Then again it was never stated definitely that the Reapers are ‘only’ from the Milkyway. They could even be from another galaxy for all we know.

Yet another idea is what is the posibility that some civilizations somehow did not encouter or refused Reaper tech? They would then develop on their own – slower but without the influence of Reapers. How would they fit into the bigger picture? Such a group could develop tech that could be unknown to the Reapers and possibly have no defences against. Of course they might have the same issue with developing AI’s that may rebel but there is also the posibility that they survive or sidestep that problem. However, such a group would not fit into the Mass Effect universe at all and thus could be ignored – sorta.

Given that Javik survived and he can read/talk Prothean he could help with technology discovered at Prothean ruins. They were alway presented as very advanced and the ability to understand such discovered tech could be very valuable. The problem is just that he and the rest of the Normandy crew are stranded somewhere out ‘there’. Just imagine Liara and Javik conversations about discoveries she made – during all that time they are stuck on that alien planet… but Javik might actually get crazy of it all 🙂

If Sheppard and Mordin managed to create and spread the cure for the genophage the Krogon would again thrive on their planet, despite the conditions. This is one good reason for the relay network to be disabled. The Krogon could then only expand to close-by systems when they start expanding again. A problem would be if Wrex did not survived (which I suspect). This would mean the Krogon would once again fight among themselves but at least it would stay ‘local’ only on the planet. I kind of felt sorry for them in that situation.

The Rachni is one of those possible good and bad things depending how they turn out. If any of them survived the final battle they could possibly be a problem on Earth because of their past history and the misstrust between other species and them. Thankfully Sheppard didn’t bring a thresher maw along as well!

So what would happen if among the debries of the destroyed Reapers they found plans or notes on how to build a new relay network? That could be a very interesting avenue for a future direction for the Mass Effect universe. Even if they did find tech like this it would take very long to establish a new relay network as you have to first travel to the destination manually to build a ‘destination’ relay before anyone can jump to that point. Even then you have to use ‘local’ resources at that location to build that relay. This makes me wonder how the network was built in the first place and how long it took? Certainly some ‘old’ gates as mentioned before could still be there – ones deactivated, burried or disabled that can help to spread the new network again. Would this be a good thing? Who knows? At least if the network between the major civilizations could be restored it could help a lot. There is also the chance that the Reapers themself did not actually create the relay network but inherited or conquered it from someone else. Perhaps the ‘gate/relay’ builders still exist somewhere in the universe or they were the first victims of the Reapers/AI’s.

Catalyst is lying idea

I’m sure I’m not the only one that has thought about this idea. Given how powerful mind control abilities the Reapers (Saren) had it is not unreasonable that everything the Catalyst supposedly said could be a lie to accomplish something else. Also seeing that the relays, Citadel and lots of other technology were actually ‘theirs’ it is not hard to imagine that even the Crucible was actually their design just waiting to be discovered and used by organics to do their bidding. They could have used the attack from the combined fleet from the organics to simply get all remaining resistance in one place to wipe them out in a single battle. It would be a terrible tragedy that Sheppard played right into their hands (perhaps under their influence) – ironically and unknowingly following the same path as Saren. Just perhaps that is why the Normandy was running away from the Sol system… to get away from the influence. If so hopefully they took Sheppard’s body along as well that might still have been laying next to the beam dreaming the whole encounter with the Catalyst… (One issue with this idea is that was Sheppard;s actions that let to the Relay network destruction which stranded the Normandy so how could the crew have Sheppard with them while they crashed… questions, questions, questions…)

This might open the possibility that there could be a continuing story involving Sheppard somewhere (but BioWare did state that this game would/should be the last involving the character… but… they could also be lying like the Reapers hehe). Perhaps we’ll have to wait for part four of the trilogy (Mr Douglas Adams would have been proud 😉 )

Although Bioware is within their rights to do whatever they like with their ‘game’ I sincerely hope that they consider doing something to change/improve the ending in such a way that all parties (they included) could be happy about it. Admittedly, that won’t be easy but what needs to be done needs to be done. They started the line now they have to hold it!

No, I’m not going to rant further about the ending of the game or how it destroyed the hopes and expectations we had before it was released (and with that I’ve started and ended the current rant… 😉 )

I’ve started playing the multi-player and yes, it is fun. I’m basically a novice as far as multi-players goes – last time I tried things like that was at LAN-parties something like 5,6 or 7 years ago… hehe.

One thing I’m not sure I like is that the multi-player is required for progressing the game. Yes, technically you can finish it without touching the multi-player but the impression given by the game/marketing is that you must also do the multi-player part. Perhaps it could have been better if they made it a completely separate game (with the same background story, plot etc…)

To me the ‘Mass Effect’ games should have been a single player since it tell’s a story with a single thread of events (but of course steered by decisions the player makes). The Multi-player should just be ‘additional’ or ‘extra’. The fact that it is so tightly integrated into the whole game indicates that they (Bioware) used resources that should have been used to improve the ‘main’ parts of the game to do things that isn’t suppose to be central. I’m not against having a multi-player part as long as it wasn’t impacting what should have been the best part of this game. That may be why some thing in the single player seems so lacking some aspects…. like a proper ending… uh…

The other thing they obviously spent a lot of effort on was the music/sounds. I very much like it but my concern is/was that it too got more attention than the actual ‘completing the core of the game’ did.

Unfortunately I had to wait an entire week for the ending due to some ‘family responsibility’ issues so when I managed to actually get to the ending it was… well.. I’ll try to explain.

I’m aware of the whole ‘Retake Mass Effect’ movement and that many others feel that the game’s ending was, well, not exactly the best thing since sliced bread. Normally I would try to be a bit more ‘diplomatic’ or neutral but I have to (unfortunately) side with the complainers… Don’t get me wrong, I still think the game is easily one of the best games ‘out there’ but something, somehow just isn’t ‘optimal’.

If I have to summarize the way the ending made me feel it has to be sad, confusing or unfulfilled. The graphics are awesome – especially the space battle scenes. Most of the game (start, middle and up to close to the end) is really good. But the ending part left me confused, perplexed, unsatisfied. Let me try to explain (but it probably would be spoilers for some).

First of the ‘finale’ part of the game feels like just one big cut-scene with no real ‘options’. Yes, the Catalyst give 3 options but it is not implemented in ‘Mass Effect’ dialog style. The whole scene feels dreamy (or nightmarish). Shepard’s reactions/dialog really does not suit the situation – especially since I’ve always played the renegate path when I can. The character’s personality seems dull or boring with no real ‘fire’ left in the spirit like I’m used to. In fact, the most part of the second half of the game I was starting to get that impression that Shepard isn’t ‘Shepard’ any more. I suppose it was done to make the character more ‘human’ but it just doesn’t fit what we’re use to… It could also have something to do with the indoctrination theory that some people have. Who knows…

There is the whole ‘saying goodbye’ part you (Shepard) must do to each character before you enter the final battle grounds. It is almost like they (Bioware) are telling you that all/some of you friends/mates will be dying (which is probably true but why so obvious? The radio dialog of some woman panicking and not knowing what to do any more – why isn’t Shepard allowed to intervene?

Then, the final run towards the ‘beam’ – it doesn’t seem you can do anything useful other than running while people, vehicles and stuff around you gets blown up. What happened to your squad mates? How did Anderson get up to the Citadel before you? Considering he’s an older man which should be slower… Inside the citadel, you end up in a part that has never been discovered (or else someone might have figured out the place has it’s own AI). Somehow the illusive man also makes it to there (though he might be controlled by the Reapers…). You (Shepard) shoots Anderson! Like you are totally being controlled by the Reapers but somehow still have enough ‘willpower’ to argue with the illusive man (and kills him). There are more questions than answers…

Finally the Catalyst explains your options, but movement is still so slow and impaired I didn’t even see where the other options are (I wanted to kill the Reapers but somehow wandered too close to the ‘merge with them option’. In the last cut-scenes the Normandy is flying through a relay and then intercepted by the shock wave of the exploding relay network – crashing on some unknown planet. Joker and EDI (in my ending) gets out both already a mixture of organics and synthetics.. plus some squad mates that happened to be with Shepard just before the final ‘run for the beam’?? How on Earth did they get back to the Ship? Why were they not still in the fight above the Earth? These events might be specific to my choices or how I played the game but you get the general picture – Confusion. Story wise things just don’t add up.

For a game I was looking forward to for such a long time this is not the optimal ending I have hoped for. No, I didn’t expect that winning (destroying the enemy) was going to be the only option or that Sheppard must survive. It seems like none of the 3 options at the end is a true win in any way. Actually, in 2 of them the Reapers actually ‘Win’ while the other option is to go on without any technology at all (or restarting from scratch – literally, just to be able to make all the same mistakes all over again). The ‘story’ is left in a state that begs for more answers!

The things that made ME1 & 2 so great was the way your choices could make a difference to the ending of the game. With 3 it seems (feels like) you might as well have started the game standing next to the Catalyst giving you the final 3 options – because those are the only options that has any real influence on the ending. These options really ‘suck’.

With an ending like this it would be hard if possible at all to have any DLC’s that are meaningful. Nevertheless, this is still is great game if you look at the whole trilogy as one (with one ‘weak’ spot – almost like the Star Wars movies with their Eps 1,2 & 3. The ME3 ending is like Jar-jar… hehe)

Update: there are several articles, blogs etc where people are moaning about the issue. E.g. look at Ars Technica especially the comments…

The following is just my opinion and comments on the game – or should I say the marvellous piece of ‘art’ that BioWare gave us. I have not completed the game yet – probably over half done I suspect. Warning – some possible spoilers…

Atmosphere

Compared to the first two games in the trilogy this one is much ‘deeper’, ‘darker’, ‘sadder’ with a gripping story. As a sci-fi nut myself I absolutely love this. The actual game play seems fairly much the same as the previous ones – some changes though but nothing that is too radical. Choosing and upgrading items is different but comes down to the same idea – that you have different levels for each weapon/armor/tech etc.

This game also has an ’emotional’ aspect that is almost unsettling. This is what makes it so good. You feel the characters ‘pain’ at times and because we’ve spend so many years playing or interacting with them it feels like we ‘know’ them. So, when something happens to them (spoiler to follow) it has a real impact on the player. Some events are unavoidable – thinking of Thane here… Others seems to be because of a ‘bad’ choice that might have been made somewhere – Mordin, Tali… Either way you make a choice there will be some consequence – and you’ll have to live with it for the duration of the game. I tried to be ‘smart’ at times to choose something that might give a compromise between two parties but then it turns out no compromise is possible – Quarians and Geth… And then more than once I let a radical (Renegate or Paragon) action pass by because I could not react quickly enough – or was still shocked at the cut scene playing where something happened I didn’t expected – Why is suicide by some characters allowed?

There is also some aspects that makes me wonder about Shepard’s personality. Being a ‘Renegate’ mostly player the part of Shepard doubting his/her own abilities when having to deal with galactic-wide choices doesn’t quite fit – e.g. the conversation with Adm Hacket, the repeating dream of the child that could not be saved… You get the feeling Shepard is ‘more’ human than in the previous games – which is probably a good thing (sorta). And then the is Shepard’s parents… why weren’t anything of them mentioned before?

Sound

Then there are the sounds and music of the game. This is another fantastic part of the game. The sound of a reaper when you come across it is unsettling (especially if you have surround sound with proper bass… next to your feet… Since I got the Collectors edition of the game I got the sound track as well and it is also good hear it away from the game.

Story

The story behind the game is ‘vast’, spanning thousands of years. When you come across the only living Prothean you get the feeling (through sounds/music/dialog) that he is really out of time/place, with a feeling of sadness, regret and frustration (something similar that old Buck Rogers must have felt in the 25th century except this guy lost not just a bit of time but he’s entire civilization is extinct for thousands of years!). Anyway, first hand knowledge of what the Protheans did (wrong) should be helping but somehow it seems that even that is enough. One interesting thing that comes out in the dialog is that not all civilizations get destroyed in each ‘cycle’. Some are allowed to go on to start the next cycle. Only the ones that could be a threat are attacked. In some ways this does make sense, in others not – No one is allowed to learn from their ‘own’ mistakes… meaning the same mistakes are repeated every time. Learning from ‘others’ mistakes just isn’t the same. This sound so similar to real life….

Other aspects

Politics sucks, just like in real life. But this is another aspect that makes the game feel more ‘real’. I still think politicians must be locked up (for 30 years or so and only then allowed to lead the people 😉 ). Otherwise they don’t have enough respect for the things in life that are really valuable.

There is some humour in the game – like the two engineers that has an argument about the Mako from ME1 and Hammerhead from ME2, squad mates making comments about each other ad so on. And what is the deal about the stupid dog in the shuttle bay? It looks suspiciously like some characters in Half Life…

Then there are a couple of irritating things as well. What is the deal with the security scanner inside the Normandy itself? The two girls working there are talking the most rubbish possible. Sometimes I wish I could just shoot them or something… 😉 Also, the weird walking/running locomotion of Sheppard makes the character almost look ‘unstable’ and almost ready to fall over or something.

I’m not there yet, but once I’ve completed the game I’ll post some more comments again. Unfortunately from a few things I’ve read on the net (I try to avoid it) the ending might be a shocker or tragic in a way that will let the player feel like it was almost not worth it. I hope depending on the ‘right’ choices that it won’t be that bad…

All in all so far I’m amazed at the game. I’ll be playing it through again and again…

Update:

Apparently many others also are not impressed with the ending of the game. See Facebook and Twitter for details. I know BioWare did a lot of hard work on this game and they kind of said in the past that Commander Sheppard’s storyline would end with the trilogy but… the current options for the ending just seems to be ‘too limiting’ or non-existent. What happens if the want to make ME4 one day? (trilogy in 4 parts… aka hitchhikers guide… 😉 )